Tubular fitting for medical fluid lines

ABSTRACT

A tubular fitting for medical fluid lines includes a hollow body within which a male connector and an opposite female connector are coaxially housed. The male connector is coupled in rotation with respect to the body in a direction corresponding to a screwing with a female connector of the line, while it is normally freely rotatable in the unscrewing direction, in the same way as the female connector is coupled in rotation with respect to the body in the direction corresponding to the screwing with a male connector of the line, while it is normally freely rotatable in the unscrewing direction. The male connector and/or the female connector can possibly be locked in rotation with respect to the body in the unscrewing direction, only following a positive command.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/311,056, filed Nov. 14, 2016, which is a national stage filing undersection 371 of International Application No. PCT/IB2014/063278, filed onJul. 21, 2014, and published in English on Nov. 19, 2015, as WO2015/173612 A1, and which claims priority of Italian application No.TO2014A000371 filed on May 12, 2014, the entire disclosure of theseapplications being hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates, in general, to medical fluid lines, forexample, hemodialysis lines, chemotherapy lines and the like.

STATE OF THE ART

Such fluid lines are normally fitted along their path with connectorsfor the connection between the various components of the line: typicallymale and female luer lock connectors and the like. Accidentaldisengagement or due to incorrect maneuvers between these connectors canresult in possible serious consequences for the patients connectedduring the use of the line.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide a safe and effectivesolution to this problem, whilst at the same time being practical andfunctional.

According to the invention, this object is achieved thanks to a fittingfor medical fluid lines comprising a hollow body within which a maleconnector accessible at one end of the body and a female connectoraccessible at the other end of the body, are coaxially housed. Thefitting comprises first unidirectional coupling means for locking inrotation the male connector with respect to the body in the directioncorresponding to the screwing between said male connector and acomplementary female connector of the line, and to enable free rotationof the male connector in the opposite direction, and secondunidirectional coupling means for locking in rotation the femaleconnector with respect to the body in the direction corresponding to thescrewing between said female connector and a complementary maleconnector of the line, and to enable free rotation of the femaleconnector in the opposite direction.

Thanks to this solution idea, the fitting according to the invention isadvantageously usable in the form of an intermediate element for asecure connection between a male connector and a female connector ofmedical fluid lines. In practice, these connectors, instead of beingconnected directly to each other, are thus connected indirectly, bymeans of the fitting according to the invention, which ensures thenecessary degree of safety against risks of undesired openings of themedical line due to accidental decoupling or a wrong maneuver betweenthe connectors of the line.

According to a further advantageous characteristic of the invention,first and/or second locking means can also be provided, designed to bepositively operated to lock in rotation the male connector and/or thefemale connector, respectively, with respect to the body in theaforesaid opposite direction of rotation.

In the fitting according to the invention, the male and femaleconnectors can be in communication with each another to define a flowpassage through the fitting, or the communication between the male andfemale connectors can be obstructed.

Furthermore, according to a particularly advantageous embodiment of theinvention, the female connector can be a valve connector and the maleconnector can also be a valve connector.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in detail with reference to theaccompanying drawings, provided purely by way of non-limiting example,in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a fitting for medical fluidlines according to a first embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 2 is an elevational side view of the fitting,

FIG. 3 is an axial section view along the line III-III of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view along the line IV-IV of FIG. 2,

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view along the line V-V of FIG. 3,

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view along the line VI-VI of FIG. 2,

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view along the line VII-VII of FIG. 3,

FIG. 8 is an elevational side view of a second embodiment of the fittingaccording to the invention,

FIG. 9 is an axial section view according to the line C-C of FIG. 8,

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view along line B-B of FIG. 8,

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view along line A-A of FIG. 8,

FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view along line D-D of FIG. 9,

FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view along line E-E of FIG. 9,

FIG. 14 is an elevational side view of a third embodiment of the fittingaccording to the invention,

FIG. 15 is an axial section view according to the line C-C of FIG. 14,

FIG. 16 is a cross sectional view along line B-B of FIG. 14,

FIG. 17 is a cross sectional view along line A-A of FIG. 14,

FIG. 18 is a cross sectional view along line D-D of FIG. 15,

FIG. 19 is a cross sectional view along line E-E of FIG. 15,

FIG. 20 is an elevational side view of a fourth embodiment of thefitting according to the invention,

FIG. 21 is an axial section view according to the line C-C of FIG. 20,

FIG. 22 is a cross sectional view along line B-B of FIG. 20,

FIG. 23 is a cross sectional view along line A-A of FIG. 20,

FIG. 24 is a cross sectional view along line D-D of FIG. 21,

FIG. 25 is a cross sectional view along line E-E of FIG. 21,

FIG. 26 is a schematic perspective view of a fifth embodiment of thefitting according to the invention,

FIG. 27 is an end view of the fitting of FIG. 26,

FIG. 28 is a sectional view along the line A-A of FIG. 27, and

FIG. 29 is a sectional view along the line B-B of FIG. 28.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring initially to FIGS. 1 to 7, the fitting according to a firstembodiment of the invention is indicated with I and is tubular. Itcomprises an outer hollow body 1 of generally cylindrical shape, withinwhich a male connector 2 of the luer lock type and analogues, and afemale fitting 3 of the luer lock type and analogues are coaxiallyhoused in an opposite condition.

The connectors 2 and 3 are rotatably mounted relative to the body 1 andto each another, with the limitations which will be discussed, and havea generally conventional shape. In detail, the male connector 2comprises an inner tubular element 4 with a conical outer surfaceprotruding from one end of the body 1, and an internally threaded outerhollow element 5, which extends towards the inside of the body 1 with ahollow appendage 6.

The female connector 3 consists of an externally threaded tubularelement 7 with a conical inner surface, protruding from the other end ofthe body 1 and integrally formed with an appendage 8 terminating with ashank 9 rotatably inserted within the hollow appendage 6 of the maleconnector 2.

The connectors 2 and 3 are locked axially within the body 1, which isconveniently formed from two half-shells coupled together in aninterlocking manner, and an O-ring seal 10 is interposed between theshank 9 and the hollow appendage 6.

The male and female connectors 2, 3 define a free flow passage throughthe connector according to the invention, and during use are intended tobe respectively coupled to a complementary female connector and to acomplementary male connector of a medical line.

The hollow appendage 6 of the male connector 2 and the appendage 8 ofthe female connector 3 are locked axially within the hollow body 1 andare coupled with this in rotation in one direction and normally freelyrotatable in the opposite direction. However, as will become evident,the rotation in the opposite direction may also possibly be locked, butonly following a positive command imparted manually.

In detail, and referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the hollow body 1 isformed internally, on the side of the male connector 2, of a crown ofelastically yielding ratchet teeth 12 cooperating by unidirectionalcoupling with corresponding projecting teeth 13 formed on the outside ofthe hollow element 5 of the male connector 2. The arrangement is such sothat the hollow element 5, and therefore the entire male connector 2, iscoupled in rotation with the hollow body 1 in the direction indicated bythe arrow F in FIG. 5, due to the effect of the engagement between theteeth 12 and 13. The direction of rotation F corresponds to the screwingbetween the male connector 2 and a complementary female connector,assuming the hollow body 1 is kept stationary, and then thecomplementary female connector is rotated to screw it into the maleconnector 2. In the opposite direction of rotation, or rather, theunscrewing direction, the male connector 2 is freely rotatable relativeto the hollow body 1 due to the bounce of the yielding teeth 12 on theteeth 13, so that the complementary female connector cannot unscrewitself.

Obviously, in the case in which the hollow body 1 rotates and thecomplementary female connector is kept stationary, the situation isreversed, i.e. the direction of screwing is opposite to that of thearrow F, and the unscrewing direction is that of the arrow F.

In this way, during use, an accidental disengagement or wrong maneuverbetween the male connector 2 and the complementary female connector isprevented. The unscrewing may, however, possibly be allowed, but, asmentioned, only a result of a positive maneuver. To this effect, thewall of the hollow body 1 may also be formed with a pair of elasticallyyielding locking segments 14 whose free ends 15 are suitable forengaging, as a result of a thrust applied to the segments 14, respectiveperipheral teeth formations 16 of the hollow appendage 6 (FIG. 4), so asto lock the rotation of the male connector 2 with respect to the body 1.

Similarly, and with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the female connector 3is coupled in rotation with the hollow body 1 in the direction indicatedby the arrow G in FIG. 7, corresponding to the screwing of this femaleconnector 3 with a complementary male connector, maintaining the hollowbody 1 stationary, while it is normally freely rotatable in the oppositedirection, i.e. the unscrewing direction. To this effect, the hollowbody 1 is formed with a further series of elastically yielding ratchetteeth 17, analogous to the yielding teeth 12, cooperating byunidirectional coupling with corresponding projecting teeth 18 formed onthe outside of an initial portion of the appendage 8. For possiblelocking of the female connector 3 in rotation with respect to the hollowbody 1, in the direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow G, apositive command manual should also be imparted in this case, and tothis effect, the hollow body 1 can be formed with a further pair ofelastically yielding locking segments 19, analogous to the yieldinglocking segments 14, the free ends 20 of which are suitable for engagingrespective peripheral teeth formations 21 of the appendage 8 (FIG. 6).

During use, the fitting according to the invention advantageouslyoperates in the manner of an intermediate safety element for thecoupling of the female connector with the male connector of a medicalfluid line, which as already mentioned are connected, instead ofdirectly to each other, to the male connector 2 and the female connector3, respectively. Following this connection, an accidental opening or dueto incorrect operation of the medical line is thus reliably prevented,as the separation between the female connector of the line and the maleconnector 2 cannot be operated, or if at all, can only be operatedvoluntarily by applying a manual pressure on the elastically yieldingsegments 14, if present, and similarly, the separation between the maleconnector of the line and the female connector 3 can possibly beachieved only by pressing the elastically yielding segments 19, ifpresent.

The further embodiments of the fitting according to the invention differfrom the one already described only in the differences that will now bedescribed in detail, using the same numerical references (partly omittedfor simplicity of illustration) for the identical or similar parts.

In the variant shown in FIGS. 8-13, the fitting, indicated as a wholewith II, tubular in this case as well, to define an open flow line,essentially differs from the fitting I of FIGS. 1-7 only in the factthat the outer body 1 is devoid of yielding locking segments 14 and/or19. Therefore, the fitting II does not allow the voluntary unscrewing ofthe male connector 2 and/or the female connector 3 from the relativecomplementary female and male connectors.

In the variant shown in FIGS. 14-19, the fitting, indicated as a wholewith III, is analogous to the fitting II and only differs from it in thefact that it is not tubular, or rather it does not define an open flowpassage between the two connectors 2 and 3. The communication betweenthe two connectors is permanently obstructed: to this effect, the femaleconnector 3 has a transverse obstructive partition 20 (FIG. 21).

In the variant shown in FIGS. 20-25, the fitting, indicated as a wholewith IV, is analogous to the connection I and only differs from it inthe fact that it also does not define an open flow passage between thetwo connectors 2 and 3, whose communication is thus obstructed. In thiscase, the inner element 4 of the male connector 2 is closed by atransverse partition 21 (FIG. 21).

In the variant shown in FIGS. 26-29, the fitting, indicated as a wholewith V, is tubular and the male 2 and female 3 connectors are valveconnectors of the cleanable (“swabbable”) type.

In particular, the male valve connector 2 generally corresponds to thatdescribed in the document US-2012/0271246 by the same Applicant:briefly, it comprises a tubular member 22 having an inlet 23 protrudingfrom one end of the hollow body 1, an elastic hollow element 24 whichsurrounds the tubular member 22 and has an end wall 25 which normallycloses the inlet 23 and is formed with a pre-cut 26. A collar 27surrounds part of the elastic hollow element 24 and is axially movabledue to the effect of the coupling of the valve connector 2 with acomplementary female connector, inducing a tensile strain of the elastichollow element 24 and opening the pre-cut 26 and therefore the flowpassage through the tubular member 22.

The female connector valve 3 generally corresponds to that described inthe document US-2009/0292274 by the same Applicant: briefly, itcomprises an inner hollow pin 28 arranged axially within an intermediatesealing member 29, which is formed with an elastic head 30 having apre-cut 31, with an elastic hollow element 32 in sealing contact withthe hollow pin 28, and with an elastic thrust part 33 tending tomaintain the elastic head 30 in a closed condition of the pre-cut 31.When the female connector 3 is coupled with a complementary maleconnector, the elastic head 30 is deformed so as to open the pre-cut 31,and therefore the flow passage through the hollow pin 28.

With this arrangement, the flow passage through the fitting V isnormally closed, and only opens following the opening of one and/or theother of the valve connectors 2 and 3.

In this embodiment as well, the male valve fitting 2 and the femalevalve fitting 23 are each coupled in rotation with the casing 1 only inthe screwing direction, through the respective unidirectional ratchets12, 13 and 17, 18, and are freely rotatable in the opposite unscrewingdirection. They may also possibly be rendered voluntarily integral inrotation with the body 1 in the unscrewing direction as well, acting onthe elastically yielding segments 14, 19 of the body 1, if present,similarly to the other embodiments described above.

Of course, the details of construction and the embodiments may be variedwidely with respect to those described and illustrated, withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention as defined in thefollowing claims. For example, in the case of the fitting V, one or theother of the valve connectors 2, 3 could be replaced by a non-valvularfitting.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A tubular fitting for medical fluid lines,comprising: a hollow body within which a male connector accessible atone end of the body and a female connector accessible at the other endof the body, are coaxially housed, first unidirectional coupling meansto lock in rotation the male connector with respect to the body in adirection corresponding to a screwing of said male connector and acomplementary female connector to be coupled therewith, and to enablefree rotation of the male connector in the opposite direction, secondunidirectional coupling means being provided to lock in rotation thefemale connector with respect to the body in a direction correspondingto the screwing of said female connector and a complementary maleconnector to be coupled therewith, and to enable free rotation of thefemale connector in the opposite direction, and wherein said male andfemale connectors are coupled together in a mutually rotary fashion withthe interposition of an O-ring, and said male and female connectors arein communication with each another to define an open flow passagethrough the fitting.
 2. A fitting according to claim 1, furthercomprising first locking means designed to be positively operated tolock in rotation one of said male connector or female connector,relative to the body in said opposite direction.
 3. A fitting accordingto claim 2, further comprising second locking means designed to bepositively operated to lock in rotation the other of said femaleconnector and male connector, relative to the body in said oppositedirection.
 4. A fitting according to claim 1, wherein said first andsecond unidirectional coupling means comprise respective ratchet teeth.5. A fitting according to claim 3, wherein said first and second lockingmeans comprise respective elastically yielding segments of the body,designed to engage corresponding peripheral teeth of said male connectorand female connector, respectively.
 6. A fitting according to claim 1,wherein the communication between said male and female connectors isobstructed.
 7. A fitting according to claim 6, wherein at least one ofsaid male or female connectors has a transverse partition for closingthe flow through said fitting.
 8. A fitting according to claim 1,wherein the male connector is a valve connector.
 9. A fitting accordingto claim 8, wherein the male connector comprises a tubular member havingan inlet, an elastic hollow element that surrounds said tubular memberand has an end wall that closes said inlet of the tubular member and isformed with a pre-cut, and a collar axially displaceable to cause atensile strain of the elastic hollow element elastic so as to open saidpre-cut.
 10. A fitting according to claim 1, wherein the femaleconnector is a valve connector.
 11. A fitting according to claim 10,wherein the female connector comprises an inner hollow pin arrangedaxially within an intermediate sealing member having an elastic headformed with a pre-cut, an elastic hollow element in sealing contact withthe hollow pin and an elastic thrust part tending to maintain theelastic head in a closed condition of said pre-cut.
 12. A tubularfitting for medical fluid lines, comprising: a hollow body within whicha male connector accessible at one end of the body and a femaleconnector accessible at the other end of the body, are coaxially housed,first unidirectional coupling means to lock in rotation the maleconnector with respect to the body in a direction corresponding to ascrewing of said male connector and a complementary female connector tobe coupled therewith, and to enable free rotation of the male connectorin the opposite direction, second unidirectional coupling means beingprovided to lock in rotation the female connector with respect to thebody in a direction corresponding to the screwing of said femaleconnector and a complementary male connector to be coupled therewith,and to enable free rotation of the female connector in the oppositedirection, and wherein said male and female connectors are coupledtogether in a mutually rotary fashion with the interposition of anO-ring, and the communication between said male and female connectors isobstructed.
 13. A fitting according to claim 12, wherein at least one ofsaid male or female connectors has a transverse partition for closingthe flow through said fitting.
 14. A fitting according to claim 12,wherein the male connector is a valve connector.
 15. A fitting accordingto claim 12, wherein the male connector comprises a tubular memberhaving an inlet, an elastic hollow element that surrounds said tubularmember and has an end wall that closes said inlet of the tubular memberand is formed with a pre-cut, and a collar axially displaceable to causea tensile strain of the elastic hollow element elastic so as to opensaid pre-cut.
 16. A fitting according to claim 12, wherein the femaleconnector is a valve connector.
 17. A fitting according to claim 16,wherein the female connector comprises an inner hollow pin arrangedaxially within an intermediate sealing member having an elastic headformed with a pre-cut, an elastic hollow element in sealing contact withthe hollow pin and an elastic thrust part tending to maintain theelastic head in a closed condition of said pre-cut.